G/f volunteering at the zoo wtf?

Winston

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I'm an omnivore... Always will be... I hunt, but most of all love watching animals in their natural habitat. Recently my g/f of 7 years has started volnteering for the zoo. This drives me crazy (in a bad way). She's tried to show me the animals (inmates), but all i can see are domesticated exotics.... Pacing... Bored... Robbed of life. I always thought that animals were my food, but at the zoo they're her entertainment, and i feel disgusted. Is there something wrong with me? Did my parents tell me to gfy when i wanted a smashed zoo-penny? I feel like a hypocrite eating more than 1lb of animal flesh per-day (i'm 6'3" and desperately need the calories), but i want to LIVE! Can anyone justify taking animals from Africa, and putting them on display/breeding them in captivity in upstate NY? Curious about how everyone feels here... Personally, this is not sitting well with me.
 
I think, broadly speaking, that zoos are wrong for various reasons since they involve putting animals in captivity and using them as entertainment. I have not been to a zoo for 16 years as a result of my feelings.

I have also been a meat eater most of my life but more recently realized that it is morally wrong to cause someone great suffering and death just for the sake of a certain type of food, and therefore I became vegetarian and mostly vegan.

You can definately get enough calories and energy from vegetarian and vegan foods and if you'd like to know more I can explain why.

This is a rather quiet forum so don't expect a lot of responses. Also, it's the internet so when you go on a vegan forum and start talking about your meat eating, well it's not what people come here for, and someone might wonder whether or not you're even trolling! If you are curious about the vegan lifestyle and willing to give it a try, I can help you. If not, it may be best not to mention meat eating and hunting too often on a vegan forum.
 
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I've always hated zoos. Total visits during my entire lifetime: 2

The look of contempt and sadness at the faces of animals is completely staggering :/
 
must confess I differ here and zoo's do have there places. I know the one near us - is expecting two bears that have been used as hotel/ off the road entertainment kept in appalling conditions in Romania. Ie a cage that they cant even turn in - eating scraps. They will now be in albeit an enclosure but large , swimming pool and well fed - they couldn't survive in the wild now so surely this is better.

Zoo's also maintain species that otherwise would die out.

Don't get me wrong - ideally zoo's shouldn't exist but afraid the mighty predator has made it a requirement. ie man
 
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I actually am studying environmental science and for any "zoo" that exists, you should check to see if it's actually a rehabilitation facility. Rehab facilities can actually be quite ethical as they rescue "exotic pets" that other people have abused or abandoned, as well as taking sick or injured animals from the wild, and they release all that they can back into the wild as soon as they are healed (the top priority is being able to release healthy animals back to their natural habitat)...HOWEVER all animals cannot be rehabilitated. Some never learned to hunt because they were kidnapped at too young of an age and are entirely dependent on humans for survival. Others are missing limbs or were rescued from an area where their lives were in danger from hunters/poachers (there are bears in a rehab facility in Big Bear, CA that were saved, a grizzly mother and cubs, who would have been exterminated if the rehab facility did not keep them).

You can usually research to find if a facility exists for rehabilitation and educational purposes, or if an exploitative "for profit" zoo.

You are correct that wild animals belong in the wild and even those who cannot be released for their own safety should have similar conditions to natural habitat (open spaces, trees, water, etc).

I just want to mention though that it's no more ethical to breed animals in captivity for the sole purpose of killing them and eating them while they are young and healthy. You can survive without meat and even if you are a tall man or an athlete, there are diet plans made for you - try looking up Rich Roll, No Meat Athlete and Vegan Gains for tips or ideas.